I'd rather be having a quiet drink... and can be followed on Twitter @alcothusiast; and friended on Untappd (handle: "neilcake" - all welcome).

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Spirit Log: Havana Club Anejo Especial

Rum. You like rum? Yeah, it’s all right isn’t it? I’ve never found it to
be something to get particularly excited about myself. I always used to keep
one each of the three types in stock for making cocktails but then I stopped
making cocktails so much and I just never felt inspired enough to replace the
outgoing bottles of rum. Well now I have, and this is the Havana Club Anejo Especial (40%) that I picked up with a few pounds
off (not many) at Tesco.

I have to admit, I
haven’t bought a Havana Club before, though I believe I’ve tried the 3 year old
and remember enjoying it, despite what I would classify as a lack of the kind
of complexity I look for in spirits. That’s endemic of the whole genre of rum,
in my opinion. I could just enjoy it over ice I suppose, but that is no longer
a particular drinking habit of mine.

Let’s start with the
fruits of a little preliminary research, shall we? I had stupidly researched the Havana Club Añejo Reserva instead of the Anejo Especial, which has led to this post being a bit late. It's fair to say, I think, that we can only blame Havana Club for making the names of their rums too similar. The Anejo Reserva was originally reserved for the personal consumption of master distiller Don Navarro, but all that is irrelevant as this one, which tends to be around £10 cheaper, was not.

So what is there to learn about it? Well, going to the master distiller himself, it "whispers the hidden secrets of premium dark rums." No idea what that means. Sounds like bullshit. The website, havana-club.co.uk says it is finished in young white oak barrels, though it doesn't seem to mention how it is aged up until that point - unless it is the 3 year old, and that is aged "in Cuba". So, as ever, not a lot to go on.

On top of all that, it looks like the producer has tweaked the look of the bottle a bit, and also changed the recipe since I bought mine, so all that research above is probably redundant.

Enough research then, I may as well just tell you what I think of the rum. Well, the most telling thing I can say about this is
that it mostly serves as an early afternoon warm-up on the weekend – you know,
when it’s too early to enjoy a scotch, but you want something to give you a
warm embrace in anticipation of a boozy evening. Another telling thing is that I've now had this bottle for a year, and it still isn't finished. Yes, part of that is that I've been holding it back in case I need it to make a cocktail for a guest, but the other part is that it has never called me over and said, "drink me". Which it would have done had it been a little better.

It is very sweet on
entry and very sour towards the end of the mouthful, with lots of citrus. The
finish is of decent enough duration and, in the end, I was surprised to find
that I enjoyed it. The only problem is that I don’t think I generally have need
for anything this sweet.

I’ll be looking at some more varieties of rum later in the year, so feel free to come back if that’s something you’re interested in.

Definitions

What happens when you zone out after having had a cheeky lunchtime pint.

Alcothusiast:

Not an alcoholic, someone who appreciates booze.

Anxiety, The:

The uneasy feeling that accompanies any noteworthy hangover.

Booze Buffet Mentality:

The propensity people have to go nuts whenever there's a free bar.

Booze Porn:Photos of alcohol.

Bread Chest:Not booze related, but this term describes the indigestion you get from eating too many bread products too quickly. Just putting it out there...

Crawler's Block:The inability to decide where to go next during a pub crawl - often resulting in crawl stagnation and someone saying, "shall we just have another one here?"

Crawl Stagnation:The result of failing to plan a pub crawl sufficiently - lack of a route, theme or over-familiarity with nearby pubs can all be contributing factors.

Excess Induced Alcohol Aversion:An intolerance for a drink caused (usually) by one occasion of overindulgence.

The Family:My whisky collection.

MOMA:

Moment of Maximum Appreciation. Every bottle has one. It's the time you drink it where you enjoy it most.

Old Man Pub:Traditional British pub, renowned for being quiet, cosy and frequented by old men. Much favoured by people who like a nice chat while they drink.Psychological Drinks Cabinet:Collective term relating to the kinds of alcoholic drinks a person has need for.Road Beers:

Cans of beer that you take with you when you go out, to consume on the way.

The 3 Types of Rum:White, gold and dark. Together they form the base of many a great cocktail.

About Me

Neil Cake is interested in all types of booze, but is by no means an authority or expert. Most of the time he's just trying to be funny, but he is learning, and enjoys sharing his adventures and what he learns on the Drink it How You Like it blog.
Thengyuverrymuuuuuch.